Artemis.. Goddess Diana

The Greek goddess Artemis, the Roman Goddess Diana. She is always responsive to the needs of the vulnerable and the suffering. She was quick to defend the powerless from unjust treatment at the hands of the Olympian patriarchy, that is why Artemis is seen as the feminist goddess. She is your beacon of freedom.. freedom from the mechanized work environment and the patriarchal organizations that we as women find ourselves some how committed to daily. It is easy for me to imagine her warm, soft yet immensely strong body poised with her long bow *two thirds the length of her own body* that she holds without effort. She is the Goddess of wild places, not of pavements, streetlights and noisy intersections but of grassy fields, woods, and streams.

I knew from the time that I was a tiny child, probably before I could even speak, that nature was more than the physical manifestation of trees, grass and animals that it encompassed..well ... EVERYTHING! Her earthy spiritual place is where she gets all of her strength, her endurance and her power...her great compassion and love. The earth is always there to rejuvenate her in times of suffering and defeat.

Artemis is talked about in several stories as the protective and maternal mother of wild bear cubs. Her willingness to mother an animal shows her understanding and her loving connection to all living things. Sometimes she is shown as turning herself into the mother bear. In native cultures and in ancient stories bears are shown as excellent mothers. A she bear will fight to the death to protect her children. She is a powerful mother with a fierce protectiveness towards her children that cannot be overlooked or undone. Her voice is nurtured by the wind, by nature, Her voice to me is confident, strong and compassionate because she is aware of the great connection of all things. But still she has the voice of compassion because she knows the sorrows, the motovations and disappointment of others.. she can put herself in the skin of a human or an animal to experience the entire connection between pain and suffering. She can stand by your side and protect you when you feel there is no ending to your sorrow. She will lift you up and take you away if you believe in her strength.

I have just recently found her as my guide and protector in life.. really I think she found me. I have read all I can on her and now have a small picture of her in my purse and beside my bed. I have found the strength I needed...